Distributed ledgers, also known as blockchains or block chain, are records of ownership of an item of value that is geographically synchronized and replicated across numerous locations without using central data storage or administration. The records may be referred to as blocks that are securely added, or appended, to the distributed ledger under a consensus mechanism involving one or more parties, participants, or agencies. This may ensure that no corruption, revision, or removal of any block can occur. A new block may be linked to the previous block via a hash mechanism that safeguards the immutability of the block and the history of the blockchain sequence. Consensus trust attributes for adding blocks may include a permissioned attribute which requires prior identification of the parties or agents involved in the transaction. Consensus trust attributes for adding blocks may also include permissionless attribute, according to which the distributed ledger does not require past association with the transacting parties or agents. Some distributed ledgers also include smart contracts that are self-executing, self-enforcing code that implement agreements or additional transactions whenever the appropriate contractual conditions are met.